Week Ending March 24, 2013. Songs: 5 Million “Thrift Shoppers”

Chart Watch

Paul GreinMarch 28, 2013

“Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz returns to #1 on the Hot 100 after logging five weeks at #2 behind Baauer’s viral phenomenon “Harlem Shake.” It’s the first song to return to #1 after such a long absence since Chubby Checker’s “The Twist,” which returned to #1 in January 1962, 16 months after it first topped the chart.

“Thrift Shop” rises to #1 even though it falls to #2 on both Hot Digital Songs (behind “Just Give Me A Reason” by P!nk featuring Nate Ruess) and Hot Radio Songs (behind Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man”). How’d that happen? “Harlem Shake” fell off even more sharply. Billboard’s Gary Trust reports that “Thrift Shop” dropped by 6% in overall chart points, while “Harlem Shake” dropped by 28%.

“Thrift Shop” tops the 5 million mark in digital sales this week. The song sold 5 million copies in 30 weeks. Just three songs in digital history have reached 5M faster: “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra (23 weeks), Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” (24) and “We Are Young” by fun. featuring Janelle Monae (28).

“Thrift Shop” tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the 11th week. That puts it in a tie with Robin Thicke’s 2007 hit “Lost Without U” for the longest run at #1 by a white artist since the chart originated (as Harlem Hit Parade) in October 1942. (Mariah Carey, whose “We Belong Together” logged 14 weeks at #1 on the R&B chart in 2005, is biracial. Her father was of African American and Venezuelan descent. Her mother is of white Irish descent.)

“Harlem Shake” dips to #2 on the Hot 100. It’s #1 on Dance/Electronic Songs for the sixth week. The song posted its fifth consecutive week of declines in YouTube streaming. It registered 20 million streams this week. At its peak, it amassed 103 million.

“Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z jumps from #4 to #3, which is its highest ranking to date. It’s Timberlake’s highest-charting hit since T.I.’s “Dead And Gone,” on which he was featured, reached #2 in February 2009. It’s Jay-Z’s biggest hit since “Empire State Of Mind,” his Grammy-winning collabo with Alicia Keys, hit #1 that November. In addition, Timberlake’s “Mirrors” leaps from #25 to #13 in its sixth week. Also: His “Pusher Love Girl” is the week’s second highest new entry at #64.

Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience enters The Billboard 200 at #1 this week, with first-week sales of 968K. It’s expected to remain on top next week as well.

“Just Give Me A Reason” by P!nk featuring Nate Ruess jumps from #9 to #6. It jumps to #1 on Hot Digital Songs. It’s P!nk’s third #1 hit on the digital sales chart, following “So What” (three weeks on top in 2008) and “F**kin’ Perfect” (one week on top in 2011). It’s Ruess’ second #1 digital hit. His fun. smash “We Are Young” spent seven weeks on top last year.

“Feel This Moment” by Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera jumps from #11 to #8. It’s Pitbull’s eighth top 10 hit; Aguilera’s 10th. Aguilera has been in the featured position on her last two top 10 hits. Her most recent top 10 hit on which she was in the lead role was 2008’s “Keeps Gettin’ Better.” “Feel This Moment” samples a-ha’s “Take On Me,” which spent seven weeks in the top 10 in 1985, peaking at #1.

“Love Me” by Lil Wayne featuring Drake and Future rebounds from #10 to #9, equaling its highest ranking to date. Look for Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being II to enter The Billboard 200 at #2 next week, with first-week sales in the 190K range.

Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” drops from #7 to #10. This is its 16th week in the top 10, which ties her 2009 smash “You Belong With Me” as the longest-running top 10 hit of her career. Swift’s pop follow-up, “22,” vaults from #64 to #26 in its fourth week.

Shameless Plug: Phillip Phillips’ “Home” this week surpasses Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” to become the best-selling song ever released by an American Idol alumnus. But Clarkson shouldn’t fret: She has four of the 10 best-selling songs by Idol alums. This morning, we posted a Chart Watch Extra in which I look at the best-selling songs and albums by Idol alums.

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 songs.

The Top Five: “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz returns to #1 for a fifth week in its 25th week on the chart. This is its 14th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #2 (234K)… Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” dips from #1 to #2 in its sixth week on the chart. Digital sales rank: #6 (114K)…“Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z jumps from #4 to #3 in its 11th week on the chart. This is its eighth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #10 (101K)…Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” dips from #3 to #4 in its 14th week on the chart. This is its seventh week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #4 (216K)…“Stay” by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko holds at #5 for the second week in its seventh week on the chart. The song has climbed as high as #3. This is its sixth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #3 (222K).

The Second Five: “Just Give Me A Reason” by P!nk featuring Nate Ruess jumps from #9 to #6 in its sixth week on the chart. Digital sales rank: #1 (241K)…Drake’s “Started From The Bottom” dips from #6 to #7 in its seventh week on the chart. This is its sixth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #7 (110K)…“Feel This Moment” by Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera jumps from #11 to #8 in its ninth week on the chart. It’s Pitbull’s eighth top 10 hit; Aguilera’s 10th. Digital sales rank: #5 (138K)…“Love Me” by Lil Wayne featuring Drake and Future rebounds from #10 to #9 in its 10th week on the chart. This is its fourth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #13 (83K)… Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” drops from #7 to #10 in its 23rd week on the chart. This is its 16th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #23 (66K).

“Scream & Shout” by will.i.am featuring Britney Spears drops from #8 to #11, ending an 11-week run in the top 10. But will.i.am also has the week’s top new entry: “# That POWER” (featuring Justin Bieber) opens at #42. Digital sales rank: #9 (108K). The song is vying to become will.i.am’s 14th top 10 hit on the Hot 100 (counting 10 Black Eyed Peas hits); Bieber’s sixth. It’s Bieber’s third chart hit as a featured artist. It follows Chris Brown’s “Next To You” (#26 in 2011) and Far*East Movement’s “Live My Life” (#21 in 2012.) (Bieber had co-equal billing with Sean Kingston on 2010’s “Eenie Meenie.”)

Blake Shelton’s “Sure Be Cool If You Did” dips from #24 to #25 in its 11th week. The song logs its fifth week at #1 on Hot Country Songs. That’s the longest run at #1 for a hit by a male solo artist since Kenny Chesney’s “Never Wanted Nothing More” had five weeks on top in the summer of 2007. It also ties Shelton’s 2001 smash “Austin” as his longest-running #1 hit to date. Shelton’s Based On A True Story… will probably enter The Billboard 200 at #3 next week, with first-week sales around 155K.

Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)” jumps from #36 to #28 in its seventh week. The song has climbed as high as #26…Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” jumps from #47 to #38 in its seventh week…“Bugatti” by Ace Hood featuring Future & Rick Ross jumps from #48 to #39 in its sixth week…Muse’s “Madness” jumps from #53 to #45 in its 27th week…Thompson Square’s “If I Didn’t Have You” jumps from #66 to #57 in its 12th week. The duo’s album Just Feels Good is expected to enter The Billboard 200 next week right around #10.

“Highway Don’t Care” by Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift jumps from #81 to #65 in its fourth week. The song has climbed as high as #59…Molly” by Tyga featuring Wiz Khalifa, Mally Mall & Cedric Gervais debuts at #66. It’s from Tyga’s third studio album, Hotel California, which is due April 9…Kelly Rowland’s “Kisses Down Low” jumps from #80 to #72 in its third week…Eric Church’s “Like Jesus Does” jumps from #84 to #74 in its fifth week.

Two songs with R-rated titles enter this week’s Hot 100. “Rich As F**k” by Lil Wayne featuring 2 Chainz debuts at #78. Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” re-enters at #84. Remarkably, both of these once-taboo words are in the titles of other songs on this week’s chart. “F**kin Problems” by A$AP Rocky featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar drops from #16 to #18 in its 21st week (it climbed as high as #8). “We Still In This B****” by B.o.B featuring T.I. & Juicy J jumps from #82 to #75 in its sixth week.

Of course, this trend has been building over the past several years. Some of the biggest hits of the past few years feature what we used to quaintly call “the F word.” Cee Lo Green’s “F**k You! (Forget You)” has sold 5,994,000 copies. P!nk’s “F**kin’ Perfect” has sold 2,966,000. “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” by Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris & DJ Frank E has sold 3,160,000. (Though the chart always listed the tamer title on Iglesias’ song, a more risqué variation helped drive its popularity.)

J. Dash’s “WOP” debuts at #82…“Clarity” by Zedd featuring Foxes debuts at #86. It’s the title song of the debut studio album by the German electronic dance music producer… “All Around The World” by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris re-enters at #90. The song has climbed as high as #22…Jake Owen’s “Anywhere With You” debuts at #92. It’s the fourth chart hit from his third studio album, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, which was released in August 2011…“Karate Chop” by Future featuring Lil Wayne re-enters at #93…Kip Moore’s “Hey Pretty Girl” debuts at #97. It’s from his current album, Up All Night….Brad Paisley’s “Beat This Summer” re-enters at #99. It has climbed as high as #97.

“Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera tops the 6 million mark in digital sales this week. It’s the 18th song in digital history to reach this level. It’s the best-selling song in digital history that references a real person in its title. It tops Plain White T’s’ “Hey There Delilah” (4,476,000), which was inspired by Delilah DiCrescenzo, an American steeplechase and cross country runner, and Fergie’s self-referential “Fergalicious” (featuring will.i.am, 3,110,000). “Fergalicious” reached #2 in January 2007. “Hey There Delilah” logged two weeks at #1 that summer.

Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” tops the 2 million mark. It’s the 35th country song to reach this plateau. The song spent two weeks at #1 on Hot Country Songs in September. It won a CMA Award as Single of the Year.

Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” tops the 2 million mark. It’s her third song to reach this plateau, following “Before He Cheats” (3,735,000) and “Jesus, Take The Wheel” (2,152,000). Another Underwood hit, “Cowboy Casanova,” is closing in fast (1,998,000). Only one country female has had more 2 million-sellers: Taylor Swift, who has had eight (counting her recent pop-leaning smashes.) “Blown Away” peaked at #2 on Hot Country Songs.